Disruption as elderly protest US bases during 81st Battle of Okinawa memorial

Protest Disrupts Okinawa Memorial Ceremony

A small group of elderly residents interrupted Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae as Okinawa marked 81 years since the end of the Battle of Okinawa on Tuesday, turning a ceremony for the war dead into a fresh protest over the island’s heavy US military burden.

Footage shows Takaichi taking the podium as audience members shout ‘We object!’ Staff can then be seen escorting protesters from the ceremony.

Prime Minister Addresses Peace And Bases

“Our nation has walked forward as a peace-loving country, bound by an unwavering vow never again to repeat the fires of war. I pledge to the souls of the fallen that we will continue making every effort to build a world where every Japanese person can live in peace and with a full heart,” Takaichi said.

Takaichi also acknowledged Okinawa’s long-running grievance over the concentration of US military bases.

“Even now, 80 years after the war’s end, the people of Okinawa continue to bear the burden of the concentration of US military bases here. We will work toward the consolidation and reduction of US military facilities in Japan, and in cooperation with the people of Okinawa, pursue the effective use of land currently occupied by those bases.”

Later footage shows attendees lighting incense as part of the remembrance ceremony.

Residents Voice Concerns

According to Japan’s Ministry of Defence, the prefecture accounts for only about 0.6 percent of Japan’s land area, but still hosts about 70.3 percent of the US military facilities and areas used exclusively by US forces in the country.

“It’s a complicated issue. I do think there are aspects where we need to rely on the US military. But precisely because of that, because large US bases are concentrated here, Okinawa becomes more of a target. I think many Okinawans feel that the bases pose something of a threat to us,” explained Okinawa resident Omine Schiko.

Remembering The Battle Of Okinawa

The Battle of Okinawa lasted from April to June 1945, devastating the islands and killing civilians, Japanese troops and US forces.

The memorial at Peace Memorial Park in Itoman honoured more than 200,000 people killed in one of the final and bloodiest battles of the Second World War.